Amina Orfi toppled top seed and World #1 Hania El Hammamy to reach her maiden Quilter Cheviot British Open final after the Egyptian pair contested the longest women’s match in the event’s history, with the World Champion prevailing after 110 minutes.
Their showdown at the Rep Theatre in Birmingham, which also became the joint fourth longest women’s match since records began, eclipsed their semi-final clash at the World Championships a few weeks ago by seven minutes. On that occasion Orfi also defeated El Hammamy 3-1 on her way to lifting the title.
Orfi displayed the form that earned her the World Championships crown, dominating proceedings to go 2-0 up, before El Hammamy saved two match balls in the third and converted game ball at the fourth attempt in a monumental tiebreak.
With over 100 minutes gone on the clock, it was Orfi who kept her nerve in the fourth to seal a 11-8, 11-7, 14-16, 11-6 triumph after 110 pulsating minutes.
“I knew Hania is a fighter and she would come back regardless of the score,” she said.
“I tried to stick to my game plan as even though we were tired from the third game and the whole match as well, I can use that and it’s not me who’s tired.
“I just tried to take it point by point, we played good squash and there wasn’t a lot of stoppages like the match in the World Champs so I really enjoyed that one today.
“I really want to win and do good in these big tournaments so I think the will to win is keeping me going. After that ankle fall I told myself I’m leading and I kept that with myself to keep going.”
Four-time British Open champion Nour ElSherbini will take on Orfi in the final tomorrow afternoon after the World No.2 put Satomi Watanabe to the sword.
It will be an eighth appearance in a British Open title decider for ElSherbini, who dominated throughout against the Japanese No.1 to win 11-7, 11-4, 11-3 in under half an hour.
“Playing at this stage is huge and I know how it feels to play in your first British Open semi-final – it’s huge,” she said.
“Satomi has definitely proved a lot, and she achieved World No.6 this season so that says a lot about her as a player. We haven’t played each other in a while, but I am very happy with the way that I played today.
“Having a big statement win after the World Championships will help me move on from it quickly and move forward and not think about the result. I am definitely happy to make it to the finals and hopefully I get revenge this time.”
In the men’s event, World No.1 Mostafa Asal held firm to oust defending champion Diego Elias in a five-game, 115-minute epic.
Asal, who’s through to his third straight British Open final, avenged his defeat to Elias in last year’s title decider by winning 11-9, 10-12, 11-9, 9-11, 11-9.
World No.1 Asal was 2-1 up and 9-5 ahead in the fourth before Elias registered six successive points – 5 Asal errors and a fortuitous nick – without reply to equalise the match and force a decider.
In a closely-fought fifth, it was Asal – who won the British Open in 2024 – who kept his cool at the business end by converting his only match ball and progressing to the final.
“I hope everybody enjoyed this match, I guess it’s two of the best squash players playing at the British Open, a tournament I have watched since I was young,” he said post-match.
“It’s a privilege to be in those close matches. I think this match will be a classic, hopefully. We did our best today and it is the end of the season, everybody is struggling and everyone wants to go home and chill, but this crowd is amazing and we want to push and push for them.
“I am glad I got this win, and I hope squash fans will enjoy this match.”
Asal will lock horns with Paul Coll in a final for the fourth time this season after the New Zealander ended Yahya Elnawasany’s dream run in Birmingham with a 3-0 success.
Coll, a two-time champion, was too strong for the World No22 as he extended his strong run at this year’s tournament by not dropping a single game.
Elnawasany, who became the lowest ranked player in eight years to reach the semi finals, had a tournament to remember having axed England No.1 Marwan ElShorbagy and former World Champion Karim Gawad along the way. However it was one step too far tonight, as Coll clinched a 11-7, 11-4, 11-3 victory.
“Yahya has been fantastic and his match against Gawad was impressive, his maturity and toughness to get through that is amazing. But I just wanted to make it feel impossible to get a point tonight,” he said.
“It’s a tournament you always target, myself and my coach, he always say it’s his favourite tournament so I want to do it for him and put on a good show. We get to the final tomorrow and we have our game plan sorted and we are ready.”
The finals of the Quilter Cheviot British Open 2026 take place tomorrow (Sunday June 7). Play begins at 14:00 (GMT+1) with all the action available to watch live on SQUASHTV and via the PSA’s broadcast partners.
Results – Men’s Semi Finals:
[1] Mostafa Asal (EGY) bt. [3] Diego Elias (PER) 3-2: 11-9, 10-12, 11-9, 9-11, 11-9 (115m)
[2] Paul Coll (NZL) bt. Yahya Elnawasany (EGY) 3-0: 11-7, 11-4, 11-3 (41m)
Results – Women’s Semi Finals:
[3] Amina Orfi (EGY) bt. [1] Hania El Hammamy (EGY) 3-1: 11-8, 11-7, 14-16, 11-6 (110m)
[2] Nour ElSherbini (EGY) bt. [6] Satomi Watanabe (JPN) 3-0: 11-7, 11-4, 11-3 (28m)
Draw – Men’s Final: To Be Played June 7
[1] Mostafa Asal (EGY) v [2] Paul Coll (NZL)
Draw – Women’s Final: To Be Played June 7
[3] Amina Orfi (EGY) v [2] Nour ElSherbini (EGY)
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